The invention generally relates to road making machines. In particular, the invention pertains to machines that can widen the side of a previously paved or graded surface while riding on that surface.
In the past, road wideners have been wheeled vehicles which deposit paving material, usually asphaltic pavement material (hot or cold mix), along the side of the vehicle. The vehicle pulls along a strike-off tool protruding from its side for evenly spreading the paving material along the side of the surface upon which the vehicle rides. Paving material is contained in a hopper in the front of the device and is replenished by a dump truck or other vehicle for carrying the mix from the asphalt plant. A conveyor in the front of the device below the hopper controllably deposits paving material along the side of the machine and the strike-off tool evenly spreads the paving material on the side of the road.
Recently, Blaw-Knox Construction Equipment Company of Mattoon, Ill. developed a road widener designated "RW-195C" which is controlled by an operator sitting on top of the machine. The device has a hopper on its front and conveyor located below the hopper to deposit material from the hopper to the side of the widener. A strike-off connected to the side of the machine is drawn over the deposited material to produce a layer having controlled width, depth and slope. The conveyor is driven by an independent variable speed hydrostatic drive system and can be extended and retracted hydraulically up to 11 inches.
The pivotally connected strike-off tool on the Blaw-Knox machine can be swung flush with the side of the machine to limit total machine width to 11 feet, 11 inches. A support which is pivotally attached to the machine at a point outside of the gauge width is attached to support the strike-off against the pressure of the paving material against the strike-off as the road widener proceeds forward.
Road wideners of the type described are capable of paving on either the right or the left side of the machine. However, the Blaw-Knox RW-195C road widener and other road wideners known in the prior art are not easily converted from being capable of widening the shoulder on one side of the machine to being capable of widening the other side of the machine. The Blaw-Knox specifications describe the cumbersome steps which must be undertaken in order to accomplish this: "To reverse conveyor discharge, simply transfer conveyor drive transmission, strike-off assembly and control console to the opposite side of the machine and reposition conveyor shuttle cylinder." Although the specifications characterize the method as being accomplished "simply", such a procedure is actually quite time-consuming.
Road paving jobs commonly require that both the left shoulder and the right shoulder of a highway be paved. It is required by state regulation (in some instances) or by common safety practices to pave the shoulder while moving in the direction of the traffic. Accordingly, in order to pave the right and left shoulders of a divided highway having traffic, it will be necessary to pave on both sides of the road with traffic going the same direction.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a road widener which can be easily and quickly converted from widening the road on one side of the device to widening the road on the opposite side of the device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved widener which allows quick and easy conversion of paving operations to the opposite side of the roadway while continuing to go in the same direction.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a machine which allows changing the side of paving without detachment and remounting of a strike-off tool.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a machine which can reverse direction and still pave the same side of the road without having to remount a strike-off tool, to transfer the conveyor drive transmission, or undertake any significant manual mechanical modifications.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a road widener having conveyor which easily and quickly can reverse directions or discharge.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a road widener having strike-off tool systems on both sides which can fold into a recess of the chassis substantially within the tread or gauge width of the wheels and not significantly increase the width of the road widener during transport.
Other and further objects will become apparent from the following discussion of the invention and its embodiments.